U.S. patent number 4,414,714 [Application Number 06/280,757] was granted by the patent office on 1983-11-15 for expansible clasp and module for watch straps.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Timex Corporation. Invention is credited to Andrew T. Kostanecki, George Mileos.
United States Patent |
4,414,714 |
Kostanecki , et al. |
November 15, 1983 |
Expansible clasp and module for watch straps
Abstract
Disclosed are expansible clasp and module constructions for
connecting the free ends of a watch strap together while at the
same time providing adequate expansion along the length of the
strap to permit removal of the strap over the hand of the wearer
without having to disconnect the free strap ends. The expansible
clasp and module constructions employ one or more spring-biased
sliding members disposed in a housing elongated along the strap
length. In the clasp construction, the outer end of the sliding
member effects releasable connection to one free strap end while
one end of the housing is permanently attached to the other free
strap end. The sliding member slides out of the housing against the
spring bias in one direction along the strap length for expansion
purposes during removal of the strap. In the module construction, a
pair of superimposed sliding members is positioned in the housing
with the outer end of each sliding member permanently attached to
the adjacent free strap end at opposite ends of the housing. The
sliding members slide out of the housing in opposite directions
against the spring bias to provide for expansion in both directions
along the length of the strap while the housing floats
therebetween. Removal of the strap over the hand of the wearer
without disconnecting the strap ends is thus greatly
facilitated.
Inventors: |
Kostanecki; Andrew T. (Darien,
CT), Mileos; George (Riverdale, NY) |
Assignee: |
Timex Corporation (Waterbury,
CT)
|
Family
ID: |
26804053 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/280,757 |
Filed: |
July 6, 1981 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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106815 |
Dec 26, 1979 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/265WS;
224/175 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44C
5/20 (20130101); Y10T 24/4782 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A44C
5/18 (20060101); A44C 5/20 (20060101); A44C
005/18 (); A44C 011/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;24/240,241R,241SL,260,265EC,265H,265WS ;224/175,176 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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74371 |
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Feb 1917 |
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CH |
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203202 |
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May 1939 |
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CH |
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Primary Examiner: Swiatek; Robert P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Crutcher; William C.
Parent Case Text
This application is a division, of application Ser. No. 106,815,
filed Dec. 26, 1979, and now abandoned.
Claims
We claim:
1. An expansible clasp for connecting the free ends of an elongated
strap together, comprising:
(a) a housing elongated in the long direction of said strap, the
housing having top and bottom walls connected together by spaced
lateral side walls and having spaced ends transversed to the snap
length, one of said ends defining an excess opening into the
housing and an abutment wall and the other end being connected to
one of the free strap ends, said top housing wall having a slot
therethrough elongated along the strap length,
(b) an elongated sliding member disposed in the housing and adapted
to slide into and out of the housing through said access opening
for expansion purposes, said sliding member having means at the
outer end adjacent said access opening for releasably connecting to
the other free strap end and having at its opposite inner end an
upturned shoulder extending through the elongated slot in the top
wall of said housing with portions of said shoulder inside said
housing forming an abutment wall in spaced, facing relation to the
abutment wall of said housing end and portions terminating outside
the housing forming a finger tab by which the sliding member can be
manually slid out of the housing by the wearer to effect releasable
engagement between the outer end of said sliding member and said
other free strap end, and (c) spring means positioned in the
housing between the spaced, facing abutment walls of said sliding
member and housing end, the spring means being biased so as to urge
the sliding member into the housing while permitting extension
thereof out of said housing for expansion and engagement
purposes.
2. The clasp of claim 1 wherein the outer end of said sliding
member includes an upturned catch adapted to be inserted in a slot
in said other free strap end, said catch after engagement in said
slot being pulled inside the housing by action of said spring means
to prevent disengagement.
3. The clasp of claim 2 wherein the access opening into the housing
is transversely elongated and the sliding member is a plate-like
member having a transversely elongated cross-section adapted to
pass through said access opening, said catch at the outer end
comprising a transverse shoulder extending upwardly therefrom.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to means for connecting the free ends
of a strap, bracelet and the like together and for allowing the
strap or bracelet to be passed over the hand of the wearer without
disconnecting the strap ends. More particularly, the invention
involves an expansible clasp or module for straps, bracelets and
the like, especially wristwatch straps and bands.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Various clasp mechanisms have been devised by prior art workers for
effecting connection between the free ends of a wristwatch strap
while at the same time providing sufficient extension along the
strap length, when needed, to remove the strap from the wearer's
wrist without having to completely disconnect the strap ends.
One well-known type of clasp with limited extension for the
aforesaid purpose comprises a buckle having two, three or more
plates hinged together at their ends and foldable upon one another
to effect engagement around the wearer's wrist and unfoldable to
increase the length of the strap to the extent necessary to enable
removal over the hand of the wearer. Illustrative of this
buckle-type clasp are the Heilemann U.S. Pat. No. 1,778,455 issued
Oct. 14, 1930; the Carlson U.S. Pat. No. 1,781,101 issued Nov. 11,
1930; the Weisman U.S. Pat. No. 1,785,059 issued Dec. 16, 1930; the
Kestenman U.S. Pat. No. 1,809,278 issued June 9, 1931; the Johnson
U.S. Pat. No. 1,835,496 issued Dec. 8, 1931; the Suttin U.S. Pat.
No. 1,838,590 issued Dec. 29, 1931; the Eklund U.S. Pat. No.
2,082,621 issued June 1, 1937; the Frohlich U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,493
issued Sept. 7, 1971; the Ichinose U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,963 issued
Oct. 5, 1971; the Mochizuki U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,716 issued Mar. 19,
1974; and the Omichi U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,542 issued Jan. 4, 1977.
British Pat. Nos. 457,515 filed July 19, 1935; 457,791 filed June
5, 1935 and 476,631 filed June 9, 1936 also involve buckle-type
clasps for wristwatch straps.
Another type of watch strap clasp or attachment employs
spring-urged sliding members as shown in the Morelas U.S. Pat. No.
2,986,795 issued June 6, 1961, and the Rieth U.S. Pat. No.
3,609,962 issued Oct. 5, 1975, for example, FIGS. 7 and 8. A clasp
utilizing a sliding zipper mechanism is illustrated in British
patent No. 648,162 filed Feb. 10, 1949.
Still other clasp or attachment constructions for a watch strap are
shown in French Pat. Nos. 495,714 filed May 12, 1950 and 1,069,906
filed Jan. 17, 1953.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved expansible clasp
construction especially useful for connecting the free ends of a
wristwatch strap or band together while at the same time providing
adequate expansion in one direction along the strap length to
permit removal of the strap or band over the hand of the wearer
without having to disconnect the strap ends. Typically, the
expansible clasp of the invention is permanently fastened to one of
the free strap ends and releasably attached to the other.
The present invention also provides a novel expansible module
permanently attached between the free strap ends to connect them
together and capable of expansion in both directions along the
strap length for greatly facilitating removal over the wearer'is
wrist.
A typical expansible clasp of the present invention includes a
housing enlongated in the long direction of the strap and having
spaced ends transverse to the strap length with one of the ends
defining an access opening into the housing and an abutment wall
and the other end being connected to one of the free strap ends.
Disposed in the housing and adapted to slide into and out of the
housing through the end access opening is a sliding member having
means at its outer end for releasably connecting to the other free
strap end and having at its inner end an abutment wall in spaced,
facing relation to the abutment wall of the housing end. Spring
means such as a flat, Z-shaped spring is positioned in the housing
between the spaced, facing abutment walls of the sliding member and
housing with the spring being biased such that the sliding member
is urged into the housing. However, the sliding member may be
extended out of the housing along the length of the strap against
the spring bias for expansion purposes.
In a preferred embodiment of the expansible clasp, the outer end of
the sliding member includes an arcuate hook member hinged thereto,
the hook member being adapted for insertion around a transverse lug
on the adjacent free strap end to effect releasable engagement. In
another preferred embodiment, the outer end of the sliding member
includes a pair of lateral locking ears which can be compressed
transversely toward one another, inserted into a suitable
receptacle on the free strap end and then released to expand
transversely inside the receptacle for releasable locking therein.
In still another preferred embodiment, the outer end of the sliding
member includes an upright shoulder and the inner end includes a
finger tab projecting outside the housing for manual operation
(sliding) of the sliding member. The adjacent free strap end
includes a transverse slot therethrough. To effect releasable
engagement, the wearer pushes the finger tab against the bias of
the spring to extend the outer end of the sliding member out of the
housing and then inserts the upright shoulder in the strap slot in
a hooking arrangement. The wearer then releases the finger tab and
the spring bias pulls the sliding member back into the housing
along with the free strap end so as to prevent disengagement of the
locking shoulder from the slot.
The expansible module of the invention includes an elongated
housing having spaced transverse ends each defining an access
opening into the housing and a spring abutment wall. A pair of
elongated sliding members is disposed in the housing in
superimposed relation one above the other with each sliding member
having means at its outer end for connection to one of the free
strap ends and an abutment wall extending therefrom at the inner
end. A pair of springs is disposed in the housing with one spring
between the facing abutment walls of each sliding member and
associated housing end. In this way, the sliding members can slide
out of the opposite ends of the housing along the strap length
against spring bias to provide strap extension in both directions
during removal. Since the free ends of the watch strap are
connected to the outer ends of the sliding members, the housing
floats between the strap ends, that is, the housing is not
connected to either strap end.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one expansible clasp embodiment of
the invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the length of the clasp
housing of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the expansible clasp of FIG. 1
after releasable engagement is effected.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the length of the clasp.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second expansible clasp
embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third expansible clasp
embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view partially broken away of a preferred
expansible module of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a preferred expansible clasp of the invention
as including a sheet metal housing 2 elongated in the direction of
the longitudinal axis of the strap 4. The housing 2 comprises top
and bottom walls 2a and 2b connected laterally by side walls 2c and
2d. Transverse walls 2e and 2f may be provided at opposite ends
with end wall 2e defining a transversely elongated opening 2g into
the housing and abutment wall 2h, and end wall 2f having one of the
free ends, 4a, of strap 4 permanently attached thereto. For
example, free strap end 4a may include a metal end section 4b which
is brazed to the housing end wall 2f. Other alternative attachment
means may be associated with end wall 2f, however. For example, end
wall 2f may have portions defining well-known gripping jaws which
penetrate into the strap to hold it. The end wall can include one
or more projecting lugs to which the free strap end can be attached
in well-known fashion. Also, portions of end wall 2f may define a
second transversely elongated opening through which free strap end
4a can be inserted and appropriately secured within the housing. As
shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the top wall 2a includes a central
longitudinal slot 2i therein for purposes described hereafter
whereas bottom wall 2b supports the sliding member 6 within the
housing.
Sliding member 6 comprises a plate-like member having an outer end
with an upturned shoulder 6a to function as a catch and an inner
end with an upturned shoulder 6b terminating in a finger tab 6c
above the top wall 2a of the housing, shoulder 6b extending through
the elongated slot 2i in the top wall. FIG. 4 shows the shoulder 6a
engaged in transverse slot 4c in the other free strap end 4d to
effect releasable engagement therewith. The slot 4c may be provided
in a metallic endpiece attached to the free strap end or in the
strap end itself. Also shown is a Z-shaped spring 8 positioned
between the abutment wall 2h of the housing end wall 2e and
abutment wall 6d of upturned shoulder 6b of the sliding member. It
is apparent that the abutment walls 2h and 6d are in spaced, facing
relation to one another with spring 8 positioned therebetween.
Spring 8 is biased so as to pull sliding member 6 into the housing
2 through access opening 2g. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, housing 2,
sliding member 6 and spring 8 may be slightly accurate so as to
conform to the wearer's wrist.
In order to initially engage shoulder 6a in the slot 4c of the
adjacent free strap end, the wearer simply slides the finger tab 6c
toward the strap end to extend the sliding member out of the
housing. After the shoulder is inserted in the slot, the finger tab
is released and the spring 8 pulls the sliding member and strap end
4c into the housing to prevent disengagement, FIG. 3. The free
strap end 4d includes a recessed shoulder 4e on the bottom to
accommodate sliding member 6 thereunder so that the hooked ends of
the strap and sliding member can slide into the housing through the
access opening. The spring 8 includes a shortened outer end
(adjacent end abutment wall 2h) to allow room for the
aforementioned hooked ends to fit in the housing; see FIG. 4. When
the wearer of the watch desires to remove the wristwatch, there is
no need to unhook the ends of the strap and sliding member. The
strap can be simply slid over the wearer's wrist and hand with the
clasp of the invention providing sufficient extension along the
length of the strap by compression of spring 8 as the strap
elongates.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show other preferred expansible clasp constructions
of the invention. These embodiments differ from that described
above primarily in the means employed at the outer end of the
sliding member to connect to the adjacent free strap end. In FIG.
5, the outer end of sliding member carries a pair of transversely
facing locking ears 16a each connected to its own transversely
facing push-pull tab 16b. The adjacent free strap end 14d carries
an enclosure 14e having opposed ratchet teeth 14f (dotted lines)
therein shaped to receive the locking ears in a ratchet type
locking action. To disengage the locking ears, the wearer simply
pushes the tabs 16b toward one another to compress the locking ears
and then withdraws the locking ears from the enclosure. In FIG. 6,
the outer end of the sliding member 26 carries an arcuate tongue
26a hinged thereto and adapted to be threaded through the slots 24c
in free strap end 24d and the folded over onto and overlying
housing 22. In both embodiments, the spring 8 (dotted lines) is
biased so as to pull the sliding member into the housing. The other
components and features of these embodiments are generally the same
as those described hereinabove in relation to FIGS. 1-4.
A preferred expansible module construction for use with a watch
strap is shown in FIG. 7. The module includes a pair of sliding
members 36 in superimposed relation within elongated housing 32.
The outer end 36a of each sliding member is permanently attached to
the adjacent free strap end, e.g., 34a and 34d whereas the inner
end of each includes a projecting shoulder 36b providing an
abutment wall, the shoulders projecting in opposite directions as
shown in the figure. As in the above illustrated embodiments, the
housing has transverse end walls 32e and 32f. However, each end
wall defines a transversely elongated access opening 32g through
which the sliding member passes during expansion. Further each end
wall defines an abutment wall 32h facing the abutment wall at the
inner end of the sliding member passing therethrough. The housing
32 floats between the free strap ends 34a and 34d in that it is not
secured to either strap end or to the sliding members. A pair of
flat, Z-shaped springs 38 is positioned within the housing with one
spring being disposed between the abutment wall of each sliding
member and associated facing housing end wall. It will be apparent
that this module construction allows expansion of the sliding
members 36 in both (opposite) directions along the length of the
strap when the strap is passed over the wrist and hand of the
wearer. Of course, this feature greatly facilitates removal of the
strap.
While the invention has been explained with respect to certain
specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various
other modifications and substitutions may be made without departing
from the scope of the present invention.
* * * * *